allisonnf's Profile

Ugh, I guess I am the only chemist who finds this DISGUSTING! I know it's just a brain block, but I have been in too many labs for this to be ok. We once went to a restaurant where they served our water in beakers. I asked for a glass (they had none, I eventually got a wine glass for my water) because every time I took a sip my stomach turned.

My biggest budget and time saver has been to shop on my lunch break. The grocery store by my job is MUCH nicer than the one nearest my home. I build a list over time of things we run out of, and the night before I shop I think hard about 3-5 meals I want to make and add those ingredients. My list is mostly very detailed, with the only wiggle room being for sale items and produce (I try to buy the cheapest, in-season stuff), and I put it in the same order as the store. When I go on my lunch break there are fewer people, and I have a very specific time allotment (get to the store, shop, check-out, get back to work, and shove my perishables in the work fridge in under an hour). Once every few months I will go to a specialty store and take a long time to browse and think about all of the possibilities, but the regular shopping is quick.

Now my biggest problem is that I have been trying to incorporate coupons I find more into my shopping, but often the coupons require me to waste extra time searching for the specific product. It has brought the bill down a little more, and introduced a little more variety in our lives, but I haven't gotten it to be FAST like before.

I think they can be a necessary evil. We have a bench at our bar, and 6 chairs around our table. If more than 6 people come to dinner, the bench gets moved to the dining table for additional seating. The bench at the bar is ok for my husband and me for weeknight dinners, but we would prefer bar stools. Too bad there isn't enough space for 2 bar stools and the bench is more compact. I think, as uncomfortable as they can be, people understand that no one keeps banquet seating available in their homes, so you need to be understanding about the seating arrangements when a lot of people are eating,

It seems somehow....dated and gaudy.

Latkes and fried eggs. That NPR interview with Deb of Smitten Kitchen made me so hungry.

Didn't Julia Child say something similar about flipping pancakes?

I know this is terrible advice at first, but my mom was right, the oil just SOUNDS like it is the right temp and the food SMELLS done. My husband has checked these two variables against when I say thing are right and he says I'm usually right on with whatever time/temp the recipe says. He thinks that it is weird that I walk in from the other room, turn down the stove and walk away. You have to just try and trust yourself, but scent is a very powerful memory trigger, you'll know. It truly works. However, when I get bogged down in actual numbers and measurements, I always mess up.

Yes, that is it! I have been trying to mix my very similar couch with bright, cool tones the way this does. One question, what color do you paint the walls?

I love love love my Wassily chair, but, sadly, it goes unused mot of the time. It sits in an awkward corner and looks beautiful. However, when guests come over it gets pulled to the center of the room. My mother and I fight over it, it is just right for our scoliosis.

After not being able to clean the previous owner's molded white grout I went with dark grey. I hate it too. There is no right answer.